Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : February 4, 2020 11:55 AM IST
Researchers say that obesity is associated with thirteen types of cancer, including those of the breast, kidney, bowel and womb. @Shutterstock
Today is World Cancer Day. On this occasion, let us take a look at the link between obesity and this disease. The fact that obesity affects health is well known. It increases your risk of heart diseases, diabetes and arthritis. It saps your energy and you are prone to health complications that may sometimes even be fatal. But being obese may also mean that you are putting yourself at risk of some cancers.
According to an article in Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, about one third of cancer cases have a link to dietary and other modifiable risk factors. This is especially true for obesity-related cancers such as breast, colorectal, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, gallbladder, esophageal, and pancreatic cancers. Another study at Oxford University Press, USA, says that the majority of people do not understand the connection between weight issues and cancer. Researchers say that obesity has a link with thirteen types of cancer, including those of the breast, kidney, bowel and womb. However, after surveying 3293 adults, they found that only a quarter of respondents were aware of the link between obesity and cancer.
Let us take a look at a few cancer that have a link to obesity.
People who are obese are almost twice as likely to develop stomach or gastric cardia cancer. This affects the upper part of the stomach. It may be due to a disruption in the microbiome or, in other words, an imbalance in gut bacteria. This imbalance lead to obesity, which may cause chronic, low-grade inflammation. And, the result is cancer.
The endometrium forms the lining of the uterus. You get endometrial cancer when the cells here become malignant. It is more common in obese or overweight women. Fat tissue may stimulate the production of excess oestrogen and this is what may cause cancer.
A cancer that starts in the cells of the throat that produce mucus and other fluid is known as oesophageal cancer. It happens when stomach acid moves into the lower part of the oesophagus. Chronic, low-grade inflammation caused by obesity may be responsible for this type of cancer.
You increase your risk of gallbladder cancer by 20 per cent if you're overweight. This goes up to 60 per cent increase if you're obese.
